Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero

I have nothing but respect for the 1990's Batman cartoon series. It's dark, action packed, the animation is superb and the storylines very interesting indeed.

My favourite Batman villain would probably be the Joker but in the cartoon series I think Mr Freeze is probably the best.

There have been Batman cartoon series before this in the 60's and 70's. Mr Freeze did make appearances in both series but he was portrayed as an evil villain. In actual fact, Mr Freeze is not an evil villain. He has a good heart deep down and this movie portrays that wonderfully. Rather than making him into some sinister villain who wishes to freeze everything in sight the producers portrayed him as a tragic man who became a villain through little fault of his own. This is what makes this a good cartoon-it's very thought provoking.

Besides all that, it's an action packed movie with great action scenes in it. Check it out.

To start with, the animation is fantastic. The story is exciting and fast paced. Not as dark as the previous animated film, but it was like the way Batman acts in the comics and show. He solves the crime, looking for clues and has a great fight with the bad guy. This could have been a big screen contender but because Batman and Robin failed, Warner Bros. said no and released it to video. But this is still great and superior to Batman and Robin. They have to make another animated Batman film, and not that Batman Beyond film they're talking about. Recommended for all.

Michael Ansara's voice is perfect for Mr. Freeze, and of all the villains on the Batman cartoon, he was the most sympathetic. He has a plan to save his wife's life only it will cost Barbara Gordon hers. Excellent film.

That SUB-ZERO should come on the HEELS of BATMAN & ROBIN with George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a blasphemy. This movie should have been released first to give Joel Schumacher an idea of how his film should have been. SUB-ZERO uses much the same plot as B&R, but with way better results. SUB-ZERO also does it without relying on heavy camp humor as the live-action film did. Like BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, SUB-ZERO can stand alongside those Max Fleischer SUPERMAN cartoons from the Forties.

For me, "SubZero" is mostly about context. This is a Mr. Freeze story by the people behind "Batman: TAS", so you know it's top-shelf. And, coming a year after "Batman and Robin" was like a salve for Schwarzenegger's portrayal. Context also applies to the CGI use. Back in '98, it looked pretty good (at the very least, expensive). Despite its aging, it was good for the time.

The only real complaint I have is the the abbreviated running time. Shorter even than "Mask of the Phantasm", the clipped pacing doesn't allow for much in the way of character development. But the animation is strong, and so is the action; particularly the submarine opening and Dick's chase with Freeze. There's great imagery in this movie and I love that Freeze has polar bear henchmen. It's a little touch, but man, does it work.

7/10